Brooder.



BROOBER.

APPLICATION FILED N0'v.2, 19x4.

Invenior.

Patented May 15, 1917.

v Fig. 1.

Wirnesses.

2r nae rip,

BROODER.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application filed November 2, 1914. Serial No.- 869,719.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, F RANK X. BTEILE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boulder, county of Boulder, State of Colorado, have invented an Improvement in Brooders, of which the following descrip tion, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This'invention relates to brooders such as are used for receiving young chickens when first hatched from incubators, and the general object of the invention is to provide a novel brooder which is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured, and which is efficient in operation in that it is constructed to provide for rapid and thorough circulation of airthrough the brooding chamber in a manner to prevent,

the possibility of any stale or vitiated air remaining in the chamber, and in such a manner that the current of heated air passes downwardly through the brooding chamber in all directions, thus producing much the same effect, so far as the chickens are concerned, as is produced when the chickens are brooded by a mother hen.

Other objects of my invention are to pro vide a novel brooder which can be ineXpensively operated so far as consumption of fuel is concerned, and which needs no particular attention in its operation, and to otherwise improve brooders, all as will be more fully hereinafter described.-

In order to give an understanding of my invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a brooder embodying my invention; 1 i

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

My brooder is constructedto present a lamp chamber 1 and a brooding chamber 2, the latter being situated above the former and preferably being constructed with an opening in its top which may be closed by a hinged cover 3. I may also if desired make a portion of the top of the chamber 2 of glass, as shown at l, to admit light, or the entire top may be glazed as desired.

The lamp chamber 1 is designed to receive the heating element herein shown in .the exterior of thefbrooder into the lower end of the heating drum. This air which is thus admitted to the drum becomes heated from the heat-radiating member and passes through the air delivery ports in the upper end of the drum to the upper part of the brooding chamber. The brooding chamber is provided with Ventilating pipes which lead thereinto near the bottom, and the heated air delivered from the top of the drum into the top of the brooding chamber gradually cools and settles down toward the bottom of the chamber, thus displacing the vitiated air which passes out through the ventilating pipes. The brooding chamber and heating chamber are separated by the partition 7 which is formed with a central opening 8 and situated beneath the partition 7 is a sheet metal member 9 which forms the top surface of the chamber 1 and the central portion 10 of which is offset slightly and occupies the opening 8. I will preferably interpose a layer of non-heatconducting material between the sheet metal member 9 and the partition 7 so as toprevent the floor of the brooding chamber 2 from becoming heated. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention this is provided for by a lining 11 of asbestos or similar material located between the sheet metal member 9 and the partition 7 immediately circumjacent the aperture 8 and by the air space 12 between the sheet metal member 9 and partition 7 exterior to the asbestos lining 11. The lamp 5 will be situated directly underneath the oil'- set portion 10 of the member 9 so that the latter becomes highly heated from the lamp. This part 10 I have referred to as the heat radiating member because it radiates heat and conveys it to the air which is delivered to the brooding chamber 2.

Situated directly above the aperture 8 is a heating drum 13 preferably of sheet metal which is illustrated as being frusto-conical in shape, and which is provided at its lower end with an opening 1 1 in line'with the aperture 8. The upper end 15 of the drum 13 is provided with a plurality of air delivery ports 16. Pure air from the exterior of the brooder delivered to the lower end of the heating drum 13 through an air delivery pipe 17 which is herein shown as extending through the wall of the brooder, and as being bent downwardly, as at 18, so that its inlet end 19 is situated closely adjacent to the ground or other support on which the brooder rests. The brooding chamber is provided with a plurality of outlet ports 20 which lead into ventilating pipes 21 that extend some distance above the top of the brooder. The ports 20 are situated a slight distance above the fioor or partition 7 and are considerably lower than the air delivery ports 16 through which air is delivered from the heating drum 13. The heating drum 13 will preferably be of such a size that its top J will be situated in the upper part of the brooding chamber so that the air which is delivered from the drum will be delivered into the upper part of the chamber.

In the operation of the. device the lamp 5 or other heating element heats the heatradiating element 10 and the latter heats the air within the drum 13 causing the heated air to rise through the ports 16 into the top of the broodingchamber 2. This air thus delivered to the top of the broodingchamber cools gradually, andas it cools, it tends to settle toward the bottom of the brooding chamber and finally it passes out through the ventilating pipes 21, all as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1. As the air rises throughthe drum 13, fresh air is supplied to the drum through the'inlet pipe 17 as shown by the arrows, so that when the brooder is in operation there is a continual discharge of heated air into the top of the brooder and a gradual downward current of the heated air from the top of the brooder toward the bottom and toward the discharge openings 20. This arrangement provides for a thorough and rapid circulation of air in the brooder and one in which the vitiated air is continually forced out through the ventilating openings by the incoming current of heated air. Moreover, since the heated air is delivered to the top of the brooding chamber and settles downwardly withan even movement, the current of heated air will be downwardly upon the backs of the chickens in the brooding chamher, and the effect on the chickens is thus very similar to. that produced when the chickens are being brooded by the mother hen. In the latter case the heat from the mother hen is delivered downwardly upon the backs of the chickens.

In order to prevent the chickens from coming in contact with the heating drum 13 I provide a screen 22 which may be of wire mesh or similar reticulated material which surrounds the heating drum. This screen is shown as having a general frustoconical shape, the upper end of which is secured to the upper end of the heating drum, and the lower end of which is spaced from the lower end of the heating drum. As herein illustrated, both the heating drum and the screen 22 are secured at their lower ends to a base plate 23 which in turn is secured to the partition 7.

The brooding chamber may have any desired shape, but for cheapness and simplicity of construction I prefer to make the brooder rectangular in horizontal crosssection, as shown in Fig. 2. Where this construction is employed it is desirable to eliminate square corners in the brooding chamber into which young chickens might huddle and thus smother each other. I secure this by placing rounded sheet metal fillet members at in the corners of the brooding chamber which give to the brooding chamber the desired rounded corners. These fillet members 2 1 prevent the chickens from crowding into the corners of the brooding chamber, thus rendering them liable to be smothered.

I have found from experiments that in a brooder constructed as above described, there will be a rapid and thorough circulation of air by which the v-itiated air will be removed from the brooding chamber and fresh heated air will be'supplied thereto in a manner which is conducive to the health of the growing chicken.

l/Vhile I have illustrated herein a selected embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the constructional features shown.

I claim;

1. In a brooder, the combination with a casing divided by a horizontal partition to present a lamp chamber and a brooding chamber, the central portion of said partition being made of heat-conducting material and constituting a heat-radiating member and the surrounding portion of the partition having heat-insulating properties, of a lamp in the lamp chamber to heat said heat-radiating member, a platesecured to the upperv face of said partition and, provided with an opening in line with said heat-radiating member, an inverted cupshaped air-heating drum secured to said plate and inclosing the heat-radiating member, the upper end of said drum extending well toward the top of the brooding chamber, and having air delivery ports therein, an air inlet pipeleading to the lower end of said drum, a protective screen secured to the peripheral edge of said plate and inclosing the heating drum, and ventilating pipes.

Communicatingwith the brooding chamber near its bottom below the air delivery ports of the drum.

2. In a brooder, the combination With a casing divided by a horizontal partition to present a lamp chamber and a brooding chamber, said partition having a central opening, of a metal lining secured to the underside of said partition, the central portion of said lining being offset and occupying said opening, a layer of heat-insulating material situated between the lining and the partition in a zone immediately surrounding said opening, a lamp in the lamp chamber for heating the offset portion of said lining, a plate secured to the upper side of said partition and provided With an opening in line with the opening in the partition, and an inverted cup-shaped air-heating drum secured to said plate and provided with air delivery ports in its upper end, a protective screen surrounding said drum and secured to the peripheral edges of said plate, means to deliver fresh air to the lower end of the drum, and ventilating pipes communicating With the brooding chamber near the bottom thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANK X. MEILE.

Witnesses:

GUY A. AnAns, J. ETTA Coons.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

